diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-links.yml b/.github/workflows/check-links.yml
index ebf94483c8a9..7b6f16f9c5da 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-links.yml
@@ -31,7 +31,17 @@ jobs:
           cache: npm
           cache-dependency-path: tmp/package-ci.json
 
-      - run: npm install --omit=optional
+      - run: |
+          npm install --omit=optional
+          git restore package.json
+
+      - name: Git submodules properly pinned?
+        run: |
+          npm run seq pin:submodule
+          echo "If the diff check below fails, then update .gitmodules by pinning the named git"
+          echo "submodule(s); or undo the submodule update(s) if it happened by mistake."
+          npm run _diff:fail
+
       - run: npm run log:check:links
         continue-on-error: true
       - name: Any files need updating?
diff --git a/content-modules/opentelemetry-java-examples b/content-modules/opentelemetry-java-examples
index 0f736eca6a4b..f9553eff58aa 160000
--- a/content-modules/opentelemetry-java-examples
+++ b/content-modules/opentelemetry-java-examples
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 0f736eca6a4b6865fb62b00033a53369e69440f7
+Subproject commit f9553eff58aabb28dabee8c14274d9860b4c52bd